The offices of the Mission of Israel to NATO in Brussels have been officially inaugurated by NATO’s Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller and Israel's Ambassador to the EU and NATO, Aharon Leshno-Yaar.

The historic inauguration took place in the presence of Major-General Yair Golan, Deputy Chief of Staff of Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

“The instability in the region of the Middle East and North Africa affects not only Israel and its neighbours but also NATO and its allies and should be tackled jointly,” Ambassador Leshno-Yaar said in his speech.

For more than twenty years, Israel has been an active NATO partner through the 'Mediterranean Dialogue'. In May last year, Israel and NATO have taken the cooperation a step further with the decision to open for the first time an official Israeli Mission at NATO headquarters.

Aharon Leshno-Yaar, was the first Israeli ambassador to be accredited to NATO and presented his credentials to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg last September.

The Israeli Mission will facilitate sharing of best practices in order to promote security and stability in the Mediterranean region and the international arena and will enhance cooperation with the 28-member North Atlantic Alliance.

Israel and NATO share the same values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law and stand united against hate and terrorism.